EDMONTON — An Edmonton high school teacher has been suspended and expects to be fired for giving students zeros despite the school's no-zero grading practice.

The physics teacher with 35 years experience said he continued giving zeros when students failed to hand in assignments, instead of using behaviour codes such as "not completed," which the school requires under its grading and reporting practice.

"To me, this is just not working," Lynden Dorval, 61, said of the no-zero policy the school introduced about a year and a half ago. "This is just a way of inflating marks and it's not benefiting the students . . . It's a way of pushing kids through and making the stats look good, but at what cost?"

Under the policy, teachers must pursue students to arrange for late assignments to be completed. If the student doesn't turn in enough work for the teacher to assess progress, the teacher should enter "unable to evaluate," the policy says.

In Dorval's physics and science classes at Ross Sheppard High School, students who didn't turn in assignments got a printout of their marks showing them how a zero would affect their overall grade. Most times, the strategy spurred students to complete the work, he said.

"Once I give that printout, I get a flood of assignments."

Dorval said he also gives students a handout at the beginning of each school year informing them of his marking practices.

But after several warnings from the principal, Dorval attended a hearing May 15 with officials from the school and Edmonton Public Schools, including the district superintendent. On May 18, Dorval got a letter informing him he is suspended indefinitely.

"It is regrettable that after a long career with Edmonton Public Schools, you chose this very public and destructive course of action," says the letter from the district superintendent.

Many Edmonton public schools, particularly junior and senior highs, have operated under no-zero practices for several years. It's part of a national trend proponents say helps ensure more students make it through the school system, learn course material and succeed.

Critics argue it doesn't prepare students for the real world.

Grade 12 Ross Sheppard student Will Lumsden said he agrees with the no-zero policy but doesn't understand why the district suspended Dorval before the end of the school year. Lumsden was in Dorval's international baccalaureate Physics 30 class, where a new teacher is now filling in while students prepare to take diploma exams in mid-June.

"I have nothing against the new teacher other than it's a completely different teaching style," Lumsden said. "It's thrown a lot of students through a bit of a loop, especially with it being a diploma course. The change wasn't exactly necessary, in my opinion."

Teacher suspensions are rare, said Edmonton Public Schools spokeswoman Cheryl Oxford. There have been only "a handful" within the past two years, she said.

Dorval said he expects to appeal the suspension.

"My career is ended. I'm not happy at all . . . It's been pretty tough," Dorval said, his eyes tearful. "You can see I'm getting emotional. I didn't expect to end my career in such a dramatic and sudden way."

asands@edmontonjournal.com

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Alberta teacher kicked out of class for giving students zeros

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